Huge crowds gather for Turkish pro-democracy rally to show 'unity'

Hundreds of thousands of people gathered in Istanbul on Sunday for a pro-democracy rally organised by the ruling party, bringing to an end three weeks of demonstrations in support of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan after last month’s failed coup. Followers of Erdogan’s Justice and Development Party (AKP) have taken to the streets every night since the attempted putsch on July 15 that claimed at least 273 lives including 34 coup plotters. The grand “Democracy and Martyrs” rally on Istanbul’s Yenikapi square on the shores of the Marmara Sea was due to be held at 1400 GMT under tight security with 15,000 police in charge.